Rice County is a true toss-up. About 50% of voters here vote Democratic and 50% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Rice County typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rice County, ~39% vote Democratic, ~40% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Rice County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Rice County sits roughly in the middle of the political spectrum, with 5 neighbors leaning further in the place's direction and 12 leaning the other way.
Rice County runs about 4 points more Republican than Minnesota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Rice County. The northeast side runs the most Democratic (D+30) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+41), a spread of about 71 points.
Why Rice County leans the way it does
Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in Rice County. The lean here lands roughly where demographic data alone would predict.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Rice County, MN sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Rice County looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Rice County is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 66%, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Steele County, MN R+22
- Le Sueur County, MN R+32
- Scott County, MN R+5
- Waseca County, MN R+32
- Dakota County, MN D+11
- Goodhue County, MN R+22
- Dodge County, MN R+31
- Carver County, MN R+8
- Blue Earth County, MN R+6
- Nicollet County, MN R+9
Counties with Similar Populations
- Aroostook County, ME R+30
- Williamson County, IL R+36
- Jones County, MS R+32
- Jefferson County, AR D+22
- St. Francois County, MO R+48
- Spalding County, GA R+8
- Butler County, KS R+41
- Ionia County, MI R+30
- Grant County, IN R+34
- Laurens County, SC R+35
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Minnesota Secretary of State, Elections, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.